Almost 50 million euros for the restoration of the Walhalla theater ruins, around 76 million euros for the renovation of the town hall and 124 million euros for the new construction of the Rheinhöhe sports park.

The last city council meeting in Wiesbaden before the summer break was dominated by debates and decisions on major projects worth millions against the background of a financial situation that did not exactly inspire confidence (FAZ on Saturday).

For Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende (SPD), these urban development projects, which will place heavy demands on Wiesbaden over the next five years, are not without alternatives: but any rescheduling and any further delay will only lead to ever higher costs, Mende fears.

Oliver Bock

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus district and for Wiesbaden.

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This view was shared by a clear majority in the city council.

Especially with the most expensive project: the Rheinhöhe sports park.

For the first time since the beginning of the Corona crisis, the city council voted by name again because the SPD was of the opinion that it should be documented for posterity who refused this important project: 56 city councilors voted yes, only 14 no, and three abstained.

The clear majority came about thanks to the approval of the CDU parliamentary group, which, after initial hesitation in the consultation process on the day of the decision, professed Wiesbaden's tradition as the "city of spas and congresses".

Group leader Daniela Georgi nevertheless spoke of "stomach ache" before the vote and made it clear in her speech that the group had long struggled to get approval.

Rising project costs are expected

A step that the FDP did not want to go along with, although both opposition factions agree on many issues and coordinate motions with each other.

Alexander Winkelmann (FDP) did not see the mayor's submission as capable of approval because, from his point of view, there was no serious financing and because Wiesbaden only had money left for projects of general interest.

In their speeches, both Winkelmann and Georgi referred to a statement by the treasurer on the sports park, which once again described how the expected net costs of 63 million euros (2017) exceeded 98.5 million euros (2020 ) had risen to 124.2 million euros.

And that, although the size of the sauna and the underground car park had already been reduced in the meantime.

In its projection, the finance department nevertheless expects that the project costs will continue to rise and will reach around 150 million euros, plus VAT.

Georgi even considers 200 million euros not out of the question.

Instead of the previously calculated debt service for the Mattiaqua baths in the amount of three million euros per year, 5.8 million euros are now expected.

Because Mattiaqua only achieved sales of 6.8 million euros in the year before Corona, it is foreseeable that the municipal budget will be heavily burdened by the sports park.

After the opening of the sports park in September 2027, the treasurer assumes an annual operating cost subsidy for all pools of 15.6 million euros.

The possible consequences of the energy crisis are not even included in this amount.

Nevertheless, the treasurer also speaks of a lighthouse project, because the spa town also defines itself through its range of baths.

However, the Treasurer pointed out that the justifiability of the investment "in the area of ​​tension between falling tax revenues, crisis-related cost increases", an impending budget freeze and necessary consolidation steps must be decided politically.

The mayor vehemently supported the project

The new four-party alliance put these concerns behind a few weeks ago when it said yes to the sports park as a replacement for the Henkell artificial ice rink and the dilapidated Mainzer Straße indoor swimming pool.

The alliance repeated their approval in the city parliament.

Michael David (SPD) spoke of an eye-catcher and a new architectural landmark for Wiesbaden;

Hendrik Seipel-Rotter (Die Grünen) called the sports park a location factor with appeal beyond the city limits, and Achim Sprengard (Volt) sees it as one of the central projects of the next few years.

Voices like that of Eckhard Müller (AfD) to give up planning or at least to postpone it until better financial times met with no response.

The mayor himself campaigned vehemently for the project.

New plans are forbidden because they would end up being even more expensive and delaying the sports park for years: "Even more loops, tests, concerns will not improve the result." Mende warned against repeating past mistakes and investing in the future because of "budgetary issues". to push.

That only increases the need for action dramatically.

The permanent loads from the sports park are "very justifiable".

The new building will be one of the "pulsating hearts of our city".

When it comes to the renovation of the town hall, variant 2b, which is also supported by the magistrate, will remain, which provides for a covered inner courtyard as a citizens' forum and is estimated at around 75 million euros.

The basic template for the 50 million euro renovation of the Walhalla was also not changed, even if there is still no concrete utilization concept for all rooms.

The mayor had previously pushed the pace because public grants are expected once construction begins by 2024.

If everything goes smoothly, the Walhalla should open in 2026, the sports park in 2027 and the completely renovated town hall in 2028.